Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, generator, gearbox, nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
Wind turbine blades are generally designed for an optimal wind speed and, thus, are less efficient at other wind speeds. Prior attempts to increase the effective range of wind speeds for the turbine blades have involved systems that modify or change the aerodynamic profile of the blade by the addition of active or passive appendages, flaps, or other control surfaces attached to the blades, particularly along the trailing edge of the blade.
In addition, an ongoing concern with modern wind turbines is the noise emitted during operation of the turbines, which can be considerable with larger wind turbines. A component of the noise is the result of interaction between the boundary layer air moving over the blade and the trailing edge of the blade. It is generally recognized that greater trailing edge thicknesses generate increased noise levels. It is known to attach trailing edge pieces to an existing blade to reduce the noise emitted by the blades.
Regardless of their intended function, existing trailing edge extensions are generally pre-formed with specific dimensions and contours for particular blade sizes. These extensions are, thus, relatively expensive to manufacture and an inventory of different sized extensions must be available. Once the devices are attached, they cannot be further shaped or contoured. The process for attaching these devices to existing blades is tedious and time consuming, and adds to the overall cost of wind turbine energy production.
Accordingly, an improved trailing edge extension for wind turbine blades and associated attachment method would be desired.